Kaibauk

Multi-level Kaibauk from East Timor

The headdress, known as Kaibauk in Tetum , is a traditional Timorese symbol of rule of the Liurai ( Timorese rulers ), which is worn by both men and women like a crown on their heads. In Naueti this is called Kaibauk wula soru .

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The Kaibauk is traditionally made of silver and has the shape of the horns of the water buffalo . Sometimes these are connected to other horns above by a rod. They are masculine symbols that are associated with the sun, heat, activity, security and political power at the same time. The female counterpart to the Kaibauk is the belak , a round bronze disc as a symbol of the moon, which is carried on the chest. The feminine is equated with coldness, passivity, fertility and ritual power. Kaibauk and Belak together symbolize harmony and balance by complementing each other.

The Kaibauk has its roots in the animistic traditional religion of Timor . Buffalo horns can still be found on the graves of members of the Timorese aristocratic families, although most Timorese are now Catholics.

The symbol is also used on the obverse of East Timor's coins and in East Timorese heraldry . It can be found in the coats of arms and flags of the former resistance movements FALINTIL and CNRT or in the flags of several East Timorese parties such as KOTA , PDRT , PPT , UDT and UNDERTIM .